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Friday

Book review: The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles- Arthur Conan Doyle

I'd never read any Sherlock Holmes books before and didn't really have any desire to, but this was part of the Mirror Book Club and, as it was only short, I figured I'd give it a go. Rich put me off before I started by saying "It's hard going". He lied. It's not at all and I have no idea what book he was thinking of!

I'm not generally a fan of the whole mystery/crime genre in general but this one did grip me. It tells the mystery of Baskerville Hall, where every member of the Baskerville family is scared to death by a ghostly hellhound. When Henry Baskerville inherits the Dartmoor manor, Sherlock Holmes sends his sidekick Watson to investigate the case.

Of course we all know that it's not actually a ghost and there's some Scooby Doo stuff going down. I have a terrible habit of saying "I bet they did it!" in relation to every single character and then saying "I knew it was them!" when it's revealed. Although I really enjoyed the mystery and piecing together all the clues, there was no real "Aha!" moment when the culprit was uncovered. It was just kind of "Oh, it was them. Right". I was expecting a lot more. Some big twist that would make my eyes pop out of my head.

Conan Doyle's descriptions of the moor are amazing! He really captures the bleak, foreboding atmosphere of the landscape. Although I've never been, I felt like I had and I could visualise them so clearly. It really sets the scene for a spooky puzzle.

As I said, I haven't read any other of the Sherlock Holmes novels so I might be missing some vital information here, but I didn't like Holmes himself at all. Poor Watson is doing everything he can to impress Sherlock, who just shrugs him off like a cat who's brought a mouse into the kitchen. Mind you, Watson needs to man up a bit and stop trying to make Sherlock like him. They're like a 14 year old boyfriend and girlfriend where the boyfriend doesn't really care and the girlfriend refuses to admit it.

Despite that, I would like to read more in the series. The Radio Times currently has an offer where you collect three coupons and get sent three of the Sherlock Holmes books so I'm going to take advantage of that. Maybe they'll actually grow up at some point.

7 comments
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I've never been interested in Sherlock either and I haven't ever really had an interest in reading crime novels. That being said, I am obsessed with crime tv shows, so I might have a read of a crime novel. I wouldn't like them too scary as I'm a bit of a wimp, so I'll probably take a look into thisEstelle x Let Me Go Xo

I know what you mean about Sherlock, he's not a completely likeable character and he's got many flaws - but I guess his brilliant intellect had to be offset somehow.. My favorite Holmes and Watson book is The Sign of Four, if you read it - let us know what you think of it :o). Xx

I am not going to lie, I only read Hound of Baskervilles because the Sherlock episode genuinely intrigued me. As much as I love Benedict Cumberbatch and his modern-day Sherlock, nothing beats the imagery of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I'm a Sherlock Holmes addict but the Hound of the Baskervilles isn't my favourite. I love Holmes but because he's not featured as much in this story you don't get as much of his bitchiness and dry sense of humour. I'd recommend A Study in Scarlet as it's the first in the series and it's when Watson and Holmes first meet. I also love the Sign of Four and the League of Redheaded Gentleman.

I'm so glad you enjoyed this book - the Sherlock Holmes series is one of my favourites! The collected short stories are definitely worth a go - my favourite being The Speckled Band! Sherlock never comes off as a very likeable character, which is why ACD gave us Dr Watson as a sympathetic lead, I think. Their relationship is pretty complicated - the world's first bromance :)

I love the original Sherlock Holmes books - it actually makes the other version so much more interesting as you know who the characters are supposed to be etc and can see the comparisons. I always thought they would be really hard reading but they are quite easy. You should try a study in Scarlett. Holmes isn't a very likeable character at all really when you read the books and it is a strange relationship. The books details his addictions much more too